7 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' Facts That Will Leave You Hooked

I write and film things for the interweb. I love horror and all things pop culture.

Since it is almost the Fourth of July, I decided to revisit my favorite summer horror flick centered around the holiday. Yep, I'm talking about I Know What You Did Last Summer. No, I'm not referring to the Shawn Mendes song of the same name. You know the story — it's the urban legend about a fisherman with a hook who seeks revenge against a group of teens after they accidentally kill a guy on Fourth of July weekend.

The slasher, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr., (why do all '90s stars have three names?) and Ryan Phillipe, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Released in the fall of 1997, IKWYDLS made a killing at the box office, grossing over $125 million worldwide. That's a pretty big number, especially for a slasher film. It is my favorite late '90s #horror flick that followed the post-Scream formula: hot teen cast, cool soundtrack, who-done-it slasher, floating heads poster — you get the gist.

In honor of the Fourth of July, I decided it was my duty, as a proud American citizen, to dig up some little known facts about #IKnowWhatYouDidLastSummer.

7. Julie And Helen Visit The House From The Conjuring

'I Know What You Did Last Summer' [Credit: Columbia Pictures]

Remember the creepy old house that belongs to Missy Egan (Anne Heche) in the film? That is actually the same filming location that was used for the supernatural hit The Conjuring. The house went through a couple paint jobs during the time between both projects, but you can still spot the structural similarities.

'The Conjuring' [Credit: Warner Bros. Pictures]

6. The Original Author Hates The Movie

'I Know What You Did Last Summer' [Credit: Columbia Pictures]

The movie is actually based on a book of the same name, but other than the title they really share no other similarities. In the book there isn't even a killer fisherman. The author of the book, Lois Duncan, has stated openly that she hates the movie because she feels that the filmmakers turned her mystery story into a slasher. Ouch.

5. Sarah Michelle Gellar And Jennifer Love Hewitt Traded Roles

'I Know What You Did Last Summer' [Credit: Columbia Pictures]

Originally, Sarah Michelle auditioned for the role of Julie and Jennifer Love auditioned for the part of Helen. Along the way, the casting director decided that Jennifer Love would make for the better final girl. I think the decision was ultimately a good one. However, I think Buffy could have definitely kicked the fisherman's ass.

4. It Wasn't Real Ice

'I Know What You Did Last Summer' [Credit: Columbia Pictures]

The ice inside the boat's storage unit was actually made of gelatin. I would imagine that gelatin would be much more comfortable to dig around in take after take; plus, the ice would have probably melted under the heat of the film set lighting.

3. Melissa Joan Heart Almost Played Julie

During the height of her Sabrina the Teenage Witch days, Melissa Joan Heart was offered the role of Julie, but she ultimately turned it down.

2. Johnny Galecki Was Supposed To Survive

'I Know What You Did Last Summer' [Credit: Columbia Pictures]

Max's death was not added in until reshoots. The producers of the film decided that they needed to add in a death earlier in the film, as most of the action didn't take place until much later. They also wanted to show that the fisherman was a deadly threat. As a result, they added in Max's death. Did anyone really like him anyway?

1. There Was Originally A Slightly Different Ending

In the film's final scene, Julie is in a locker room. Just as she is about to get into the shower, she sees the words "I still know" written on the steamy glass door. The fisherman then jumps through the glass door and the film cuts to black. Originally, the scene played out a little differently, with Julie sitting at a computer chatting online with Ray. Another person joins the chat and types "I still know." The killer then jumps out at her. The scrapped ending was used as a teaser trailer for the sequel. I couldn't manage to dig up all the entire scene, but you can check out some of the footage here.

'I Know What You Did Last Summer' [Credit: Columbia Pictures]

What tidbit did you find to be the coolest? Sound off in the comments below!

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